1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to retractable reels for single or multi-line electrical wiring, cords, cables, hoses, and the like, and more particularly to a retractable reel with a continuous length of wiring having a first portion thereof wrapped around a spring-biased reel in a housing and a second portion thereof counter-wrapped within the reel, thus eliminating the necessity for a central shaft, and so that the first portion may be pulled out of the housing, thereby rotating the reel, without applying tension or stress on the second portion. The invention is particularly well adapted for use on wiring for trailers pulled behind vehicles and is designed to connect the trailer wiring to a power source on the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that extremely elongated flexible items such as electrical wires, cords, cables, hoses and the like are often wound onto reels for storage. Future reference to such electrical wires, cords, cables, hoses and the like will simply be referred to as “wires.” Storage of wires on reels not only makes the wire take up less space, but the winding onto the reel also substantially prevents the wire from becoming entangled which essentially makes it much easier to handle when it is desired to use it.
Sometimes, the reels are enclosed in a housing or case with one or both ends of the wire protruding from the housing. By pulling on the end or ends, the wire is unwound from the reel and extended away from the housing. The reels may be spring-biased to tend to rotate the reel in a direction to wind the wire thereon, so that if a free end of a wire is released, it will be retracted back into the housing.
Some devices of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,481 to Wheeler, et al., and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,114,091; 5,655,726; and 5,797,558 to Peterson, et al. Each of these discloses a cord take-up device for flat wire such as used in current telephone cables. Both dual and unidirectional cord take-ups are disclosed. Each of these devices, being used for telephone cables, is relatively lightweight and not necessarily adaptable to more rigorous use, such as for holding the heavier type of wiring found on a vehicle trailer. Of course, a vehicle trailer is exposed to the elements and is a much harsher environment than most telephone cords encounter. The present invention is of more substantial construction and has a unique method of positioning the cable in the apparatus.
When pulling a trailer behind a vehicle, it is often desired or even legally necessary to connect electrical equipment on the trailer to the electrical system of the vehicle. Electrical equipment on the trailer typically includes taillights, brake lights, turn signals, license plate lights, running lights, etc. Some trailers are also equipped with electric brakes and/or other electrical items. The wiring on the trailer will have plug that fits in a socket on the vehicle, or vice versa, so that all of the electrical connections can be made easily at once. Depending on the positioning of the plugs in the wiring, there may be excess wiring which can hang down from the trailer or between the vehicles. Not only is this unsightly, it can be hazardous if the wire were to catch on something as the vehicle pulls the trailer down the road. It could result in the wiring becoming disconnected which would cause loss of lights, etc., and possibly the trailer brakes. The present invention solves this problem by providing a spring-biased retractable reel apparatus so that any excess wire is simply pulled back into a housing by action of a spring after the connection to the vehicle has been made.
Such interconnecting plug receptacles are commonly used on a great variety of trailers, such as utility, horse, livestock, automotive, recreational and bumper pull trailers. While there has been some standardization of these interconnecting plug receptacles, the present invention can be adapted to any of them, and is not intended to be limited to any particular plug receptacle or trailer configuration.
One rewind trailer-like connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,828 to Bass which is mounted using the same hitch bolt that holds the hitch ball on a towing vehicle. One end of the wire in the housing of the apparatus of Bass may be pulled away from the housing and is spring-loaded to tend to pull it back in. A potential problem with the Bass apparatus is that is has no means to keep the stationary side of the wire from twisting. The stationary wire cannot rotate. Therefore, it must twist, causing repetitive tension in the wire, shortening its life, or a swivel connection must be used.
Another problem with the Bass apparatus is that the internal coil spring is adjacent to the electric wiring itself. This results in the potential problem that the spring could cut the insulation on the wiring which could lead to electrical shorts. The present invention solves this problem by having the internal spring separated from the wiring by a side of the reel in the housing so that the insulation and integrity of the wiring is protected from contact by the spring.
An additional problem with the Bass apparatus is that it is designed for round wire. Typically, numerous trailers use a flat wire configuration. Such wiring could not be wound into the Bass apparatus without considerable changes in the design of the apparatus. The present invention solves this problem by providing a retractable reel apparatus usable for such flat wires, but also adaptable for round wire applications.